Why do the realists among us have to ruin everything…? Check out the punchline at Ape, Not Monkey. Read more
Back in June, Sam Harris answered some popular questions from the Reddit crowd. The questions didn’t stop, though, and he’s back for Round 2: Here’s the guide to the good stuff: 1. Eternity and the meaning of life 0:42 2. Do we have free will? 4:43 3. How can we convince religious people to abandon their beliefs? 14:52 4. How can atheists live among the faithful? 19:09 5. How should we talk to children about death? 21:52 6. Does human… Read more
At the Secular Student Alliance conference this past summer, Rice University Religious Studies professor Dr. Anthony Pinn spoke about how to attract African-Americans to your atheist group. Of all the topics discussed at the conference, reaching out to minorities was arguably the most important: Any favorite moments? Leave the timestamps in the comments for everyone else! Read more
It takes a lot to upset me. Really. But reading through the latest press release from the Illinois Family Institute took me to that place. This is a group that claims to “love” homosexuals, but then does everything in its power to prevent them from having equal rights, adopting children, loving whomever they want to, and even — this was news to me — serving this country. IFI opposes Don’t Ask Don’t Tell because it’s too progressive for them. They… Read more
Really. And he’s swapping wives with Gary Busey. The actor and the former evangelical pastor — both of whom have made the rounds in the media, Busey for drugs and getting arrested for abusing his wife; Haggard for a sex scandal — would seem an odd pairing for the ABC show. But they have spirituality in common: Busey is a born-again Christian and minister with Promise Keepers; Haggard is the founder and pastor of St. James, a nondenominational church in… Read more
In Giles County, Virginia, a Ten Commandments display just went up at Narrows High School. A student at the school, working with the ACLU of Virginia and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, has filed a lawsuit. But the students wishes to remain anonymous, opting to use the name “Doe 1” instead. “I fear that if my involvement were made public, I would experience social ostracism, harassment, or threats from my school peers or community members,” the student said in an… Read more
No, of course he’s not. But if you look in his latest campaign video, you might catch a familiar symbol and wonder if he’s sending atheists a secret message. Do you see it? The Zapfino A. The iconic symbol of Richard Dawkins’ OUT Campaign. It’s all over the place. Clearly, this is no coincidence. What do you think his message to us is…? 🙂 (Thanks to Decio for the link!) Read more
The Dallas – Fort Worth Coalition of Reason participated in the Dallas Gay Pride Parade this past weekend. Their group, including members of the Metroplex Atheists and the Fellowship of Freethought, included over 75 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and straight allies. Video is below (but it might have some NSFW images): In case you’re wondering, Dr. Zachary Moore, the coordinator of the group, said there were, indeed, some religious people present at the parade: There were a number of liberal… Read more
Over the weekend, the Backyard Skeptics in Orange County, California gathered at Huntington Beach because they planned to tear certain pages out of the Bible. When uproar ensued, they altered their plans a bit — they decided to rip up regular-sized paper with Bible verses (or messages) printed on them. This is how it went down (beginning at the 2:10 mark): If you were looking forward to the demonstration, did it live up to your expectations? If you were opposed… Read more
